Adjumani West byelection: Who will carry the NRM flag?
Some candidates who spoke to Arua One FM expressed optimism about the process and commended the security personnel and the NRM for what they described as efforts to ensure transparency.
Voter verification exercise in Furua village on Thursday as NRM held its primaries to fill the vacant Arua West seat. Photo by Doreen Tasia.
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The National Resistance Movement (NRM) primary election to choose a flag bearer for the Adjumani West Constituency parliamentary byelection is underway today, Thursday, with voting taking place across 99 villages in four subcounties and one town council.
The electoral process started between 10:00 am and 11:00 am with verification of voters' names in the NRM register. Although the exercise started late in some areas because of delays in voter turnout, voting was generally progressing peacefully.
Some candidates who spoke to Arua One FM expressed optimism about the process and commended the security personnel and the NRM for what they described as efforts to ensure transparency.
The primary is being held to choose the candidate who will carry the NRM flag in the Adjumani West Constituency byelection scheduled for September 17, 2026.
The parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of former legislator on the NRM ticket and former Second Deputy Prime Minister Gen. (rtd) Moses Ali on July 18, 2026, only a few months after his swearing-in to the 12th Parliament of Uganda.
The highly contested NRM primary has attracted seven hopefuls, including three former Adjumani district chairpersons.
The three former district chairpersons are Ben Anyama, who served from 2016 to 2026; James Leku Pili, who served from 2016 to 2021; and three-term pioneer chairman Nixon Owole, who first served from 1998 to 2002.
Owole was re-elected in 2002 and served until 2006 before returning to office in 2011 and serving until 2016.
The other candidates seeking the Movement flag are Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU)-endorsed candidate Daniel Izale, Richard Madrara Obuni, Justin Mawadri and Kassim Ali, a biological son of the late Gen. Ali.
Emmanuel Owole Drani, a political analyst in the district, said Thursday's NRM primary would be closely followed and attract a high voter turnout.
Drani based his assessment on the high turnout during the voter verification exercise for the NRM election compared with previous elections.
He also said many voters who live outside the district were arriving in good numbers to take part in the election.
"From Monday, when the voter verification exercise began, people are turning up in big numbers. The talk in the Constituency now is to choose a new leader. Similarly, a good number of voters who live outside the district are arriving home to participate," he said.
According to Drani, the race is tighter between two candidates, James Leku Pili and Ben Anyama, than any of the other five candidates.
He added that the other candidate likely to come close to the two or challenge them is PLU's Daniel Izale.
"Out of the seven, one is to win, and from the look of things down here, the race is tighter between Pili and Anyama than any other candidate," said Drani.
Drani noted that Pili's strength lies in his long-standing friendship with the late Gen. Ali and their alleged discussions about possible succession after Pili allegedly agreed to step down to allow Gen Moses Ali to contest the 2026 elections.
On the other hand, Drani believes Anyama's recent tenure as Adjumani district chairman gives him an advantage in the race.
He, however, said Anyama's major weakness lies in the belief among some voters that he hails from Dzaipi sub-county in Adjumani East Constituency.
"During Anyama's campaigns for district chairman recently, we told voters that he hails from Dzaipi subcounty in Adjumani East. Despite the fact that he has lived in Adjumani West Constituency for years and even built, it's hard for ordinary people to believe," Drani analysed.
Adams Idro, another political analyst in Adjumani district, equally believes Thursday's NRM election will attract a large turnout and be better attended than previous elections.
He said the NRM election would determine 80% of the outcome of the September 17 election.
Idro said the fact that no opposition candidate has ever won the Member of Parliament race or the district chairperson race gives the winner of the NRM primary a strong chance of winning the byelection.
He highlighted three main candidates in the race for the yellow flag, namely James Leku Pili, Ben Anyama and Daniel Izale.
Idro said the election was now taking more direction from candidates' relationships with Gen. Ali than from their manifestos.
He said Pili appeared to have the potential to win the race because voters believe he was selected by Gen. Ali before his death.
"Pili was the district chairman for Adjumani and worked well with late Gen. Ali. Pili led campaigns for late Gen. Ali in 2026 and previous elections. This bond is what many voters are looking up to," he said.
Idro also believes the PLU support for Daniel Izale plays a key role in positioning him as a candidate to watch in the race.
"We all know the power PLU has today. Coupled with the good financial background of Izale, I think he is another person to watch in the race," Idro said.
Idro further analysed that Ben Anyama's recent relationship with the people of Adjumani, following his tenure as district chairman, gives him a strong base.
He added that voters also look up to Anyama because of his authoritativeness, which many compare with the late Gen Ali's leadership style.
He, however, said the fact that Anyama obtained more votes in Adjumani East Constituency than in West Constituency during the recent general elections, where he lost to the current chairman, John Anyazo, partly explains why he might not win the race against the two leading candidates.
Idro noted that for decades, Gen. Ali remained the dominant and most decorated political figure in the entire Madi sub-region and West Nile region in general.
He said the late Gen. Ali used to influence election outcomes, especially in Adjumani district.
Idro, who is also an in-law to the late Gen. Ali, said the family's support for a candidate plays a pivotal role in determining the next legislator for the constituency.
"The late Gen. Ali's son Kassim Ali is in the race, but we have seen the family members turning their support towards James Leku Pili. This was evidenced during the final Dua'a for the late Gen. Ali a few days ago. His family members never spoke about their own son but instead pointed at Pili," he said.
According to the tentative roadmap released by the Electoral Commission, nominations will be held on September 7 and 8.
The campaigns will run from September 9 to 15, while polling is scheduled for September 17, 2026.
Candidates call for peaceful elections
Ahead of the election, Daniel Izale, one of the candidates for the NRM flag, expressed concern over what he termed high levels of disorganisation in the election process.
He accused senior district NRM officials of siding with James Leku Pili, saying this was likely to undermine peaceful elections.
"From the subcounty registrars to the district chairperson, there are systemic plans to rig the votes, and if it happens, then the elections will not be peaceful," he said, adding that they have received copies of photocopied NRM voter registration books, a sign that rigging is already planned.
"On Tuesday (September 1), four other candidates and I witnessed that some voter registration books are photocopied. We have reported to police and other security operatives for action," he claimed.
Izale urged voters to remain calm, turn up in large numbers to vote and return home peacefully to await the results.
Candidate Anyama said elections were not grounds for war but a democratic way of selecting a leader.
He appealed to voters to play their role during voting and, after exercising their rights, remain calm and peaceful and accept the outcome.
Pili, another candidate in the race, equally called for peaceful, free and fair elections.
He said the vacancy left by the late Gen. Ali should never turn into a battle for a seat because leaders come from God and people only exercise the will of God.
Kassim Ali, son of the late Gen. Ali, who also joined the race, said the peaceful conduct of the election would depend on the level of organisation by the NRM Secretariat and the support provided by security agencies.
He denounced any form of violence during the election and called on voters to turn up in large numbers to cast their ballots.
Adjumani resident district commissioner Swaibu Toko revealed that security was prepared to ensure the election was conducted peacefully.
"As security we are prepared for the election. We have a deployment plan already, and it be done at all the polling stations. The first thing at every station will be security briefing, then lining will only be for those whose names are the voters' register. If your name is not there, don’t come and cause commotion," he said.